Merrie began teaching Nan how to play the piano when Nan was 4 years old.
Fast-forward 50+ years and the two, along with their teammate, Betty, are still collaborating on how to make learning music accessible and fun for beginners of all ages.
MerrieNan Melodies was founded in 2010 and was created with the belief that learning to read music gives a child confidence and independence with music that creates joy for a lifetime.
Meet the Team
Merrie Crawford Skaggs, PhD
Merrie has been an educator her entire career, starting out in public schools and culminating at Baker University as Chair of the Education Department and Supervisor of Student Teachers. She holds a BA in Elementary Education, an MS in Reading, and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in mathematics education. Merrie has been a big part of making sure the materials in the program are educationally sound.
Merrie’s Educational Philosophy
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” — Willian Butler Yeats
Nan Crawford Funkhouser, BM
Nan graduated from Wichita State University with a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance and a minor in Piano Performance. She played French horn with the Kansas City Symphony for 25 years before retiring as a professional musician. She has taught both French horn and piano for over 30 years. One role Nan plays with MerrieNan Melodies is to compose and arrange new music that helps students learn.
Nan’s Musical Philosophy
“I see my life in terms of music.” — Albert Einstein
Betty Todd Smith, BA, MMusic
Betty is an MTNA Permanent Nationally Certified Teacher of piano with a BA in Music from Abilene Christian University and a Masters of Music in Piano Performance from Arizona State University. She has founded and directed numerous early childhood music programs and developed curriculum for Montessori and private schools. She has taught piano for over 40 years. Betty plays a key role in making sure the MerrieNan Melodies courses are comprehensive for beginning musicians and their parents/instructors.
Betty’s Teaching Philosophy
“Every child can learn. Any child can be developed. Depends on how you do it.” — Dr. Shinichi Suzuki
Fun Fact
The original “MerrieNan” was a 33-foot Chris Craft cabin cruiser Merrie and Nan’s parents owned when Merrie was 16 and Nan was 9.
The family spent a summer living on that boat, and the name MerrieNan became synonymous with long summer weeks out on the water making happy memories.
Merrie and Nan revived the name for their company in the hopes that the MerrieNan Melodies program will bring joyous memories and “smooth sailing” to music students.
About Nan
Nan started taking piano lessons when she was four years old. In junior high school, she chose the French horn. Nan graduated from Wichita State University with a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance and a minor in Piano Performance. She played French horn with the Kansas City Symphony for 25 years and also has taught both French horn and piano for over 30 years. One role Nan plays with MerrieNan Melodies is to come up with new music that helps students learn.
About Merrie
Merrie has been an educator her entire career, starting out in public schools and culminating at Baker University. She holds a BA in Elementary Education, a MS in Reading, and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in mathematics education. She was the Chair of the Undergraduate School of Education at Baker for four years. Merrie has been a big part of making sure the materials in the program are educationally sound.
About Betty
Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Betty Todd Smith is an MTNA Permanent Nationally Certified Teacher of piano with a BA in Music (piano, voice) from Abilene Christian University and a MMusic in Piano Performance from Arizona State University. She completed all levels of Suzuki piano teacher training and Musikgarten curriculum. Betty founded and directed the Piano and Pre-school Music Departments for the Tulsa Institute for Music Education, Inc., and developed music curriculum for Undercroft Montessori School in Tulsa. She directed early childhood music programs at various Montessori schools as well as Pembroke Hill in the Kansas City area. Currently, Betty is District One President of Kansas Music Teachers Association and area Chairman for the National Piano Guild. She teaches traditional and Suzuki piano to students ranging from age three to adult; has presented workshop sessions at national and state conventions; adjudicates; and enjoys collaborative performances.
The MerrieNan Collaboration
Merrie Crawford Skaggs and Nan Crawford Funkhouser are sisters who collaborated on the creation of MerrieNan Melodies. Nan and Merrie had great fun creating a different approach to teaching music. Their respective professional fields of music and education complemented each other in the creation of MerrieNan Melodies. With the addition of Betty Todd Smith, the expanded collaboration created an even stronger, more balanced team made up of a career piano teacher (Betty), a professional musician (Nan), and a lifelong educator (Merrie). Betty, Nan, and Merrie are all interested in supporting the joyful education of music students of all ages.
The Origin of the Name
The name “MerrieNan” is the name Merrie and Nan’s parents gave to the 33-foot Chris Craft cabin cruiser they owned when Merrie was 16 and Nan was 9. The family spent a summer out on Tablerock Lake in Missouri where their father was building boat ramps and other amenities for state parks. The name MerrieNan became synonymous with long summer weeks out on the water making happy memories. Merrie and Nan revived the name for their company in the hopes that the MerrieNan Melodies program will bring joyous memories and “smooth sailing” to music students.
The Vision of MerrieNan Melodies
“MerrieNan Melodies teaches music literacy via the keyboard.” This vision includes the idea that all people regardless of age or background can learn to read music easily and joyfully in order to enrich their lives.